Linked connector and method of making same



1951 w. H. NORDENSON ETAL 2,579,394

LINKED CONNECTOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed May 21,1948

N 5 w w H OSA TN N NE R Ma 0 R T I T Patented Dec. 18, 1951 Willard n.

Dubuque, Iowa,

ituring '00., =Dubugue, Iowa,

Iowa

Nordenson and Warren .McTCaw,

*assignors 21:0 :Deere Manufacacorporation -01 1 s Claims. (01'. :sa-asl ea desirable :connecter is one that may be easily and quickly disconnected under varying :condi- :tions and without the likelihood rof any loss iflf TIEhe invention is of particular utility in con- :nection with a tractor sci the type :shown :in assignees .icopending application, LSerial :No. #100,055, fil'ed lseptember 28, l946,:now.-Patent :No. 23503.,096 zgranted April 4, ease, by Bernard Garlson, wherein the tractor is equipped with a drawharsthatmay:bevertically adjusted by means of a ,power wacimated arm, whereby the height 20f the camylng portionsof the drawbar-maiy accommodate a wide variety of implements. The ,present invention provides an improvement in the connection between the :d-rawbar and the power Varm whereby the vertical adjustability of the drawbar is eiiected. :Such drawbar :is provided with means for positively looking :it in any selected position of adjustment and :in several cases the connecting elements erchains between the :drawbamand power sarm are removed so that thelpower larm may he used for the control of implements connected :to the tractor. "In situations involving the disconnecting -of the conmeeting elementlbetween the drawbar and power term, there :is considerable likelihood that the components of lsuchnconnection will be lost in the field. According to the present-invention, it is an importantobject to provide :a connecting element in which the components are not gacci- -dentally :separable. it is rlikewise -an important obiectito provide an improved-and simple method of, producing such connecting :element, whereby a large stock of the associated components may be produced in quantities, readily assembled-and then iormed so that the components cannot :betcomeiseparated. Et-is an object=of the invention stomrovidean'ixnprovedtconnecting elementwhich maybe usedinyplace For n=conventionalchain and which is considerablystronger :and cheaper than such chain. iltsis aiurthenobjectoi the invention .to provide .a connecting element in which oppositeend portions provide suitable =clevises so that coime'ction and disconnection may :be easily reliected between the connecting element and associated parts.

The :foregoing and other important objects and :features of the invention will :become apparent to those skilled the art :asrthe disclosure of a preferred ziormgof the invention is :more fully made in the :tollowing detailed description and :accompanying sheet of drawings in which ifigiufe 51 is 'a perspective, view o'f a rear portion of 2a tractor provided with drawbar structure of the type ere'ferred to above and including conmeeting elements constructed according to the invention;

:Figure :2 is :aiace view of the central linkeeleinentmi -.one 20f the :connecters, shown in relation ito 2a FSGG'DiOI-l "or :portion -:of an associated :connecting member;

, figure 3 :is "a'itr'ansverse sectional :view through the shown in Figure :2, the view being taken Substantially along the ;line 3-3 of F g l'Fig-urea aalongitudinalsectional view of the dink, the section being taken substantially along the line -4-fi of Figure 2. e

The particular adaptation of :the invention zcho'sen for'thezpurposes of illustration is merely srepresen'tativie of zone act :the several instances in which :the invention could be used. Therefore, only brief andtgeneralrreference willtberhad to the tractor structure; ;It will :be appreciated :in this respect {that theipreierred form 'of the invention illustrated is capable of variations :lndesign rand lprjopontionmo :suit the {application thereof to other operational conditions, all without depart- ;ing'from etheispirit and scope of the invention as definediin the-claims appended hereto.

The rear .xportion :of :the :-tractor illustrated :is shown :as having iaamain i-body portion til! which includes transverse rear axle structure :-.ll carried on "traction "WhB'ElS 1. 2 :and .13, the :construction :in this. :respect ibeing largely conventional. The director :has .a :rearwardly extending :drawbar 124 .FWl'IiJCh :iextends forwardlyl :beneath the .transverseiaxle structure Isl tandwhichis pivoted Jon the zaxleistructtme son :a transverse horizontal pivot axis 1 by aupair of :trunnions, one zof which "is misibleaat lawn-Figured. 'The-drawbar lli lii's :thus carried -:on the'ztractor for vertical swinging ad- "justment about :the transverse :axis through :the trunnion 245. iThe tractor illustrated is :of "the type including an integral :power ,.=lif-t :of :power control mechanism, a portion of the housing of which is indicated at Hi just below an operators seat I? (Figure 1). forms no part of the present invention and therefore will be only briefly and generally referred to.

The power lift mechanism is of the type having a transverse rockshaft, one end of which is visible at I8 in Figure 1 and on each end of which is carried a power control arm l9, it being understood that rocking of the rockshaft I8 effects vertical swinging movement of the arms IS. The

power control arms are utilized for adjusting the drawbar |4 vertically, and for, this purpose each arm is connected to the drawbar by means of a connecting element indicated generally by the numeral 20, each side of the drawbar having an apertured ear 2| for this purpose.

In the following description of the connecting element, only one will be described, since the two are identical.

Each connecting element comprises a pair .of similar U-shaped members 22 and 23 articulately interconnected by a link 24. The terminal end of each leg of the U that forms the member 22 is enlarged and pierced to provide an eye 25 to form a clevis for receiving a connecting pin 26 which is passed through a connecting link 2'| pivoted to the associated power arm I9. The other U-shaped member 23 is similarly formed with eyes 28 for the purpose of receiving a connecting pin 29 which passes through the apertured ear 2| on the proximate side of the drawbar M.

In the use of a tractor of the type illustrated, it is common to utilize the connectingelement 20 as means for interconnecting the drawbar and power arms |9 for adjusting the height of the drawbar and then disconnecting the element 20 so that the arms l9 may be utilized with other connecting elements for adjusting an implement connected to the tractor, it being understood that the drawbar is at such times fixed .in a selected position by locking means of the type disclosed in the co-pending application referred to, a representation of which appears at 30 in Figure 1 at one side of the drawbar. Inasmuch as the connecting elements 20 may be disconnected, it is found that they often have no immediate use and, heretofore, in the case of difierent types of connecting elements it was foundthat various components became lost in thefield, whichloss was not only a source of annoyance inasmuch as the parts had to be replaced but the lost parts were apt to be picked up by the mechanism of an implement or machine subsequently operated over the field.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the construction of the link member 24 and the relationship thereof to the members 22 and 23, and in these figures it will be seen that the invention provides for the ready assembly of the components but precludes the separation thereof after assembly.

Figure 3 shows that the link 24 is preferably of one-piece construction and has generally the shape of an O and is provided with an opening preferably in the form of an elongated slot 3|. This piece is preferably constructed from a piece of fiat stock and the slot 3| is provided by a piercing or punching operation. The piece thus lends itself readily to production in quantities. Although only a portion of one of the U-shaped members is shown in each of Figures 2, 3 and 4, the general construction thereof can be readily appreciated. It will be seen that each member includes a bight portion which is loosely received The power lift mechanism by the end of the slot 3| in the connecting link 24, with the member 22 (23) so disposed that the legs of the member extend away from the link, as in Figure l. The members 22 and 23, being identical, may also be produced in quantitles and as completed-pieces, meaning; that the terminalends of thelegsgmaygbe enlarged to provide the eyes 25 (28) prior to assembly of the members with the link 24.

The completed link 24 is shown in the drawing as having apair of laterally extending projections32 and 33 which extend across the slot 3| to divide the slot 3| substantially into two smaller slots or openings, each of which is large enough to looselyrec'eive the bight or intermediate portion of its associated member but each of'which is small enough to prevent passage of an eye portion '25 '(28) therethrough.

- The following description of the method of assembling the links arid members will indicate the detailed structure of the parts and the manner in which assembly, is accomplished and disassembly is prevented.

As stated above, the links 24 are produced in quantities in a preliminary operation which forms the links and provides the slots 3| therein. A quantity of the .U-shaped members22 (23) is similarly produced, each member being in completed form and already having both of .its eye portions provided thereon. The U-shapedmembers may be produced in any conventional manner, such as using round bar stock, bending the same to U-shape formation either before or after the ends thereof are upset or flattened and pierced to provide the eyes.

Each connecting element 20 may then be readily assembled by taking a link 24 and a pair of U-shaped members and passing an eye portion of each of the latter through the slots 3| so that the bight portions of the U-shaped members are loosely received respectively at opposite ends of the slot. .With the parts assembled in this fashion, the next step is the operation that forms the projections 32 and 33. Such operation may be of any nature. that displaces a portion of the link (or two portions) laterally across the slot to divide the slot into the two smaller slots, as mentioned above; In a preferred method, the portions 32 and 33 are provided by a staking operation in which integral portions of the link at opposite sides of thelink are displaced inwardly toward each other to provide a barrier across the slot and intermediate the end thereof. The projections 32 and 33 could be extended completely across the slot so as to meet at the longitudinal median plane of the slot, although it is necessary only that the spacing between the inner ends 01' the projections be less than the thickness of the eye of the member 22 (23).

The original dimension of the length of the slot 3| is indicated at A in Figure 4. The longest dimension of each of the smaller slots provided by the barrier established by the projections 32 and 33 is indicated at A The greatest dimension or outside diameter of the enlarged or eye portion 25 of the member 22 is indicated at A It will be immediately noted that the dimension A is greater than the dimension A however, the dimension A is considerably less than the dimension A. I

The space between the proximate'ends of the projections 32 and 33 is indicated by the dimension C in Figure 3. This dimension is considerably'les than thetransverse dimension'B'of the slot 3| (Figure 2) and is also'les's than the dimen site c "which is the dimension t me simknem 'vi hichthe lll=shaped member formed, it being noted that in this case the bight portion of the "H -shaped member -'s'ubstantially uniformly 'ii unensio'ned between the eyes 25. The "dimension "Cis also less than "the dimension C3, which represents "the thickness of the eyes 25. In a preferred construction, the dimension-ii is equal to the dimension A plus an allowance of at least the dimension 0 so that after the member 22 is passedthrough the "slot 3|, there will be room for passage of the eye on the other member 23 through the slot;

After these members are as'sembled'with respect to the link, by passing the eye portion of the former through the latter "so that the members are retained "temporarily by the bight portion thereof, the barrier elements or projections-32 and 33*a're formed. Each of the smaller slots thus provided has the -di'mensiohs A and B. Since each'of these dimensions (and'a diagonal across the corners thereof) is less than the dimension R the members :22 or 23 cannot become separated from the link '24, it being remembered that the dimension C between the projections 32 and 33 is less than the dimension C of the eye.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the assembled product is very easily made from a plurality of com onents that are preformed and that the only final forming operation required is the step of producihgthe r neans 'for barring (at least) the slot 3l intermediate its ends to confine the members 22 and 23 against escape therefrom. Consequently, the connecting element may be produced more economically than'a conventional chain 6f equal size and "strength. Besides, the connecting elements provided here have the ad- "vantage of including the clevises provided by the eyes 25 and 28, a characteristic not found inthe ordinary chain.

. What isclaimed is:

1. A linked connecting element, comprising: a one-piece link shaped generally as an O and having an elongated slot therethrough; a U- shaped member articulatel connected with the link and having a bight and a pair of legs, the bight being substantially uniformly dimensioned so as to pass loosely through the link slot and the terminal end of each leg being enlarged to provide an eye portion having an outside diameter less than the length but greater than the width of the link slot and a thickness less than the width of the link slot so that the link and member may be assembled by passing one of the eye portions through the link slot; and means on the link including an integral portion thereof displaced laterally irom at least one side thereof in a direction across the slot, after assembly of the link and member, to reduce the length of that portion of the slot through which the member passes to a dimension less than the outside diameter of the eye portion.

2. A linked connecting element, comprising: a one-piece link shaped generally as an O and having an elongated slot therethrough; a U- shaped member articulately connected with the link and having a bight and a pair of legs, the bight being substantially uniformly dimensioned so as to pass loosely through the link slot and the terminal end of each leg being enlarged to provide an eye portion having an outside diameter less than the length but greater than the.

width of the link slot and a thickness less than the width of the link slot so that the link and member may be assembled by passing one of the eye -p'o'r'tions "through the -.link slot; and means on the link including integral portions thereof displaced laterally. from opposite-sides thereof and toward each other'across the slot, after assembly of the link and member, to reduce the length of that portionof the slot through which the member passes to a dimension less than the outside diameter "of the eye portion.

3. A linked connecting element, comprising: a pair of similar U-shaped members and a onepiece continuous link articulately interconnecting said members; each of said members having a bight and a pair of legs, the bight being of substantially uniform thickness and the terminal end of each leg including an. integral 'enlar'ge ment "providing an -"eye portion; the link being generally of O shape and having "an elongated slot therethrough of a length greater than the outside diameter'of an eye portion of "one member 'pius'the thick'ii'ess cithe b'ight of the other member and of a width greater than the thickness o'faneye portion and sufficient to loosely receive the bight of each member, so that the members and link may be assembled by passing the eye portions of the members through the link slot; and means on the link including an integral portion thereof displaced laterally rrom at least one side thereof in a direction across the slot intermediate the ends thereof, after assembly of the link and members,- to divide the slot s-ubstantially into two smaller slots the length of eachoi which is less than the outside diameter of either eye portion of the associated member.

4. A linked connecting element, comprising: pair of similar U-shaped members and a onepiece continuous link articulately interconnecting said members; *eacho'f said members having a bight and a pair of legs, the bight being of sub-- stantially uniform thickness and the terminal end of each leg including an integral enlargement providing an eye portion; the link being generally of O shape and having an elongated slot there'through of a length greater than the outside diameter of an eye portion of one member plus the thickness of the bight of. the other member and of a width greater than the thickness of an eye portion and sufficient to loosely receive the bight of each member, so that the members and link may be assembled by passing the eye portions of the members through the link slot; and means extending at least partially across the smaller dimension of the slot after assembly of the link and members to at least partially close the slot intermediate its ends and thus to substantially divide the slot into two smaller slots the length of each of which is less than the outside diameter of either eye portion of the associated member.

5. True method of making a linked connecting element, comprising: forming a one-piece link generally as an 0 having an elongated slot therethrough and an associated U-shaped member having a bight and a pair of legs wherein the bight is substantially uniformly dimensioned to pass loosely through the slot and the terminal end of each leg has an enlarged eye portion having an outside diameter less than the length of the slot but greater than the width of the slot; assembling the link and member by passing an eye portion through the slot so that the link loosely receives the bight; and then displacing an integral portion of the link in a direction across the slot to reduce the length of that portion of the slot through which the member passes to a dimension less than the outside diameter of the eye portion.

6. The method of making a linked connecting element, comprising: forming, a one-piece link generally as an having an elongated slot therethrough and an associated U-shaped member having a bight and a pair of legs wherein the bight is substantially uniformly dimensioned to pass loosely through therslot and the terminal end of each leg has an enlarged eye portion having an outside diameter less than the length of the slot but greater than the width of the slot; assembling the link and member by passing an eye portion through the slot so that the link loosely receives the bight; and then displacing l;-

integral portions of the link from opposite sides thereof across the slotand toward each other to reduce the length of that portion of theslot through which the member passes to a dimension less than the outside diameter of the eye portion. I I

7. The method of making a linked connecting element, comprising: forming a pair of similar U-shaped members and a one-piece continuous link so that each member has a bight and a pair of legs, the bight being of substantially uniform thickness and the terminal end of each leg including an integral enlargement providing an eye portion and so that the link is generally of '0 shape and having an elongated slot therethrough of a length greater than the outside diameter of an eye portion of one member plus the thickness of the bight of the other member and of a width greater than the thickness of an eye portion and suificient to loosely receive the bight of each member; assembling the link and members by passing an eye portion of each member through the slot so that the link loosely receives the bights of the members at opposite ends of the slot; and then displacing an integral portion of the link from at least one side thereof laterally across the slot intermediate the ends thereof to divide the slot substantially into two smaller slots the length oI-eachoi' which is less than the outside diameter of either eye portion of the associated member. I 7

The method of making a linked connecting element, comprising: forming a pair of similar U -shaped members and a one-piece continuous link so that each member has a bight and a pair of legs, the bight being of substantially uniform thickness and the terminal end'of each leg including an integral enlargement providing an eye portion and so that the link is generally of Q shape and having an elongated slot therethrough of a length greater than the outside diamter of an eye portion of one member plus the thickness of the bight of the other member and of a width greater than the thickness of an eye portion and suflicient to loosely receive the bight ,of each member; assembling the link and members by passing an eye portion of each member through the slot so thatgthellink loosely receives thebights of the members at opposite ends of the slot; and then at least partially closing the slot intermediate the ends thereof and across its smaller dimension to substantially divide the slot into two smaller slots the length of each of which is less than the outside diameter of either eye portion of the associated member.

' WILLARD H. NORDENSON.

WARREN W. McCAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

